Not quite understanding modern outrage

[Paul S.]

I'm not particularly fond of the North Vietnamese flag, or that of any Communist country. For that matter, I'm not fond of Lenin's picture or the Che Guevara shirts the Uni students cherish either, but I don't get 'cheesed off' every time I see one. The small minded subset of humanity that gets its knickers in a twist at the slightest infringement of political correctness needs a reality check.

With that, these, the aircraft and the flags, are simply historical relics much like an Egyptian chariot, a Greek Statue, Roman Gladius, a Viking long ship, or even the Tower of London and Dachau or Auschwitz. They are a part of our history and to deny history is to deny how we became who we are.


I'll add here that one of my ancestors, Sir Isaac Pennington, was a Lieutenant of the Tower before he became its prisoner and died there ~1666. The Tower doesn't offend me either.

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[Seaspriter]

I'm not particularly fond of the North Vietnamese flag, or that of any Communist country. For that matter, I'm not fond of Lenin's picture or the Che Guevara shirts the Uni students cherish either, but I don't get 'cheesed off' every time I see one. The small minded subset of humanity that gets its knickers in a twist at the slightest infringement of political correctness needs a reality check.

With that, these, the aircraft and the flags, are simply historical relics much like an Egyptian chariot, a Greek Statue, Roman Gladius, a Viking long ship, or even the Tower of London and Dachau or Auschwitz. They are a part of our history and to deny history is to deny how we became who we are.

Well said Paul. My relatives fought the British in the Revolution (over civil rights), in the War of 1812 over the impressment (enforced slavery) of seamen, the American Civil War (over slavery), Germany in WWI (over aggression), Japan and Germany in WWII and then North Korea (over demonic predators), and then I in Vietnam (over Communist domination).

Today we are at peace with all these enemies (except North Korea). Being at peace means a level of reconciliation and an understanding (but never a denial) of the causes of war.

Every museum has to make choices about what to display, how to display it, and what should be communicated to the observer. Here in America there is still a deep controversy about flying the Confederate flag, which to some represents the same values the swastika means. Whenever I see either of these flags, I'm not offended; these just provide the opportunity to take the opposing view to what these flags represent -- to take the high road, an enlightened vision of the choices humanity has to make, a mission of courage to stand for human rights, and a testimony of those who were prepared to give their lives to a cause worthy of dying. That's why we celebrate Memorial Day today.

[Eaglelord17]

Well said Paul. My relatives fought the British in the Revolution (over civil rights)White slave owning colonists who refused to pay their fair taxes over a war they wished fought, in the War of 1812 over the impressment (enforced slavery) of seamen America trying to take over the whole of North America through Manifest Destiny, the American Civil War (over slavery) Political domination of the South leading to them wishing to succeed from the Union, Germany in WWI (over aggression) WWI was more a prevent empire building and trying to build a empire, realistically it wasn't Americas war, Japan and Germany in WWII Same reason as WWI, Germany Japan and Italy wanted a empire, other nations said no.
Today we are at peace with all these enemies (except North Korea). Being at peace means a level of reconciliation and an understanding (but never a denial) of the causes of war.

The understanding of what the causes of war are is changing. The farther we get from a conflicts the more we can actually analyze it in a unbiased manner. For example each one of the wars you listed can mostly be described in another way as it all depends on your view point. I will put in yellow in the quote what someone else might see them as. Some of the wars listed America was the aggressor, others America was attacked, overall though history is written by the victors and it takes centuries for the conflicts to be looked at from a unbiased standpoint (look at poor Napoleon for example, called the devil for over 100 years, finally no longer demonized to the same extent).